Chapter Twelve: Judas Kisses
Robin opened his eyes and found himself temporarily blinded by the lights above him. He tried to move his arms to shield his eyes, and stifled a scream from the sudden pain that shot up both his arms.
"Hold on there, Robin," Dr. Hook's voice said through the blinding light.
As the room came more into focus, Robin saw Dr. Hook looking at him, while doctors and nurses were busy moving equipment out of the room. Looking down, Robin saw his arms in a strange cagelike contraption with four steel pins sticking into the flesh, and presumably, the bone.
"Ah, I see you've noticed the arm braces," Dr. Hook said.
"That bad, huh?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, and I'm sorry to say, it gets worse," the doctor replied. Normally he'd be a little bit more gentle with news like this, but he something told him Robin neither needed or would appreciate it. "Those things'll have to stay on six, maybe seven weeks. That means a month or two of bed rest."
"Two months?" Robin asked incredulously.
"You'll be out of the hospital in a few weeks, but yes, about two months," Hook confirmed. "And don't look at me like that- I'm just trying to do the best I can with what I have. You're not the only person hurt or injured here, you know."
"Sorry," Robin replied.
Hook's face grew a little less stern. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Jump City's probably the safest it's ever going to be, now that we've probably got half the US Army camped down here," he said, gesturing outside the window, not that Robin could see much but the night sky and the moon from his position.
"Not with that giant lizard on the loose," Robin insisted.
"Well, there I have some good news," Hook said, smiling. "I'm not too sure about the details, but from the few news reports I've heard, it's not going to be a problem anymore."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Maybe you gave him a little too much anesthetic," Dawn said as he came in.
"Hey, Dawn! Nice to see you got out of that all right."
"Actually, we got out of it better than we thought," Dawn told him, before turning to the doctor. "Thanks for helping him, Doctor Hook."
"No problem," Hook replied. "Now, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I've got a whole lot more work to do." He sighed wistfully. "I swear, sometimes it seemed a whole lot simpler back in Maine- Whoops, excuse me," he said, almost bumping into Starfire.
"That is not a problem, doctor- ROBIN!" she shouted, while a bemused (and temporarily deafened) Dr. Hook walked down the corridor, trying to get the ringing out of his ears. "Oh, Robin, you are all right!" she exclaimed, impulsively hugging Robin before turning to Cyborg. "And- and Dawn, you too are all right, yes?" Starfire asked, a slight note of hesitation in her voice. Apparently she still had problems coming to grips with her sister's new relationship.
"That's what I told Robin."
"Oh, this is truly a joyous day! But where are my friends, and my sister so they too might share in our celebrations?"
"Well, they're outside trying to help the doctors out, mostly."
"Raven too?" Robin asked, a slight tone of urgency in his voice.
"Yeah, Raven too. Why?"
"What?" Robin said, incredulously. "Dawn, how could you? What if-"
"Robin," Dawn said with gentle reproof. "It will be perfectly fine. I don't know what happened, but I think Raven's going to be all right with her powers. Whatever had her riled up seems to be gone now. Besides, I told you, the others are out there with her. I don't know about your friends, no offence, but I do know Blackfire, and she can take care of herself."
"I'll believe it when I see it for myself," Robin replied, but the tone of his voice indicated he was willing to give Raven the benefit of the doubt, not to mention the fact that in any case, the best person who could deal with Raven would be someone who both cared for her and was willing to fight dirty, Robin thought, and he knew Dawn was thinking the same thing. "So, what did we miss?"
An hour later, Robin was still shaking his head in disbelief. "Okay, let me get this straight: Cassius Wolfe was destroying the city and causing who knows how many casualties, just so he could test out some new superweapon?"
"Not only that, but from what I hear he was primed to get the rebuilding contracts, all while pretending to 'volunteer' his services. The same contacts in Washington who helped him smuggle that thing into Jump City also made sure of it- with a nice cut for them, of course."
Dawn leaned back in her chair. "And here I was thinking I knew all the lengths people go to for money and power," she said with a half-smile on her face.
"How about the creature?" Robin asked, not willing to be sidetracked.
Dawn shrugged. "As I said, you'll have to ask Raven for that. She broke the mind control, and then after Wolfe got arrested, she kinda convinced whoever's in charge not to kill it."
"Kinda?"
"You'd be surprised at how reasonable you can become when you've got a giant lizard backing you up. Don't quote me on this, but I think it was grateful."
Robin sighed. Had he been able to use his arms, he would have put a hand to his forehead. Broken arms, giant intelligent lizards, not to mention a love triangle. Sometimes he wondered if he should have just stuck with Batman. At least back then the worst he got was-
"No, Robin!" Starfire said.
"What?"
"You said that you should have stuck with the Bat Man!" Starfire told him.
Robin laughed, realizing he'd said that last bit out loud. "My tongue slipped, Starfire; I didn't mean it."
Starfire's forehead creased in bewilderment. "I do not understand- how could a tongue slip? It has no feet."
"Never mind, Star," Robin said, his mood much better now. "Forget I said anything."
Dawn looked from Robin, to Starfire, and then to Robin again. "Well, I think I'll just leave you two now," she said, a sly look in her eyes, "As for me, I've got a date."
(scene change)
"That should be the last of it," Cyborg said, as he unloaded the last crate of medical supplies.
"You know, when I first joined," Blackfire said as she leaned on the crate, "I thought life as a Titan would involve me fighting evil supervillains, battling monsters, saving the world and getting the credit."
"Uh, hello?" Beast Boy asked. "We have just done all three, haven't you noticed?"
"Yeah, but I never planned on also having to do all these," she sighed, "lowly duties," she teased.
"So what? You're having regrets about joining us now?" Beast Boy asked defensively.
Behind him, Blackfire saw Raven walking towards them. "Regrets?" Blackfire asked, more to herself than Beast Boy, "Nope, none at all."
"I've done all I can," Raven said as she reached them. "Now it's up to the doctors."
"You know, if I had any medical supplies on my ship, I'd sell them to you at very reasonable prices," Dawn said as she landed. "So, you ready for our date yet?" she asked Blackfire.
"Date?" the other three Titans said in unison.
"Yeah, our date," Dawn told them, flicking her fingers near her cheek, the Tameranian version of a wink. With any luck, these humans wouldn't have a clue what she was planning. "You see, I'm leaving tonight, and well, you understand," she said.
"You're leaving?" Cyborg asked.
"Tonight?" Beast Boy continued.
"Yep, I'm leaving Earth tonight," Dawn said, clearly relishing the distress Raven was trying to hide- rather successfully, she thought. "So Blackfire, are you coming?"
For a moment Blackfire felt like punching Dawn right there- what was she thinking? "Well, I'd have to think about it," she said in what could only be described as a playful snarl.
Dawn either didn't notice it, or more likely, didn't care. "So, are you coming, or am I going to have myself a nice, romantic last night by myself?" as she took off. Blackfire seethed inside for a second, then took off after her, trying to ignore the look on Raven's face.
"What?" Dawn asked as she and Blackfire flew away. "Come on Blackfire, we both know it's a joke! I thought you'd love it! Not to mention the fact that you seemed okay with it back at the Tower."
"Yes, but-"
"Besides," Dawn continued, her tone softer now, "like it or not, we had something once. At least give me a chance to remember those times without having Raven there."
"Dawn, that's not what I meant," Blackfire told her.
Dawn looked at her sadly, before breaking into a sudden smile. "I know. I just wanted to make you squirm a bit. Oh come on, Blackfire!" she said, as Blackfire aimed a few playful swipes at her. "Didn't you see that coming?"
(scene change)
The main doors opened, and Beast Boy was the first through. "Personally, I'll miss her," he told Cyborg. "She's a fun guy. Well, she's not a guy guy, but a girl guy, uh, you know what I mean, right?"
"Uh-huh," Cyborg said, his mind on other matters; namely Raven, and how she would take it. Normally he wouldn't worry about something like this, but considering all the crazy things that had been happening, he wasn't going to take any chances. He had readied his systems to be as battle ready as they would ever be without being obvious about it.
He didn't feel better for doing it however; as far as he knew, it wasn't Raven's fault. Despite that, with Robin gone and Starfire with him, someone had to take care of the other Titans. Someone had to take on the title of leader, at least temporarily.
He wished it didn't have to happen to him.
Raven wasn't in very good shape herself. She remembered the old adage, 'If it's too good to be true it probably is', and how it was never as apt as it was now, at least in her case. Blackfire was undoubtedly going to resume traveling the galaxy with her old girlfriend, and now that Raven had full control over her abilities all over again, it would all be back to normal again.
She wished it didn't have to happen to her.
"I don' know about you guys," Beast Boy yawned, oblivious to what was happening around him, "but I'm bushed. See you tomorrow," he said, heading upstairs in the direction of his room.
"Yeah, we should probably get some rest," Cyborg said, the day's excursions catching up with him. "Raven, you all right?" he asked Raven quietly.
"…Yes," Raven said, before she too went upstairs.
(scene change)
Okay, that should do it, Cyborg thought as he finished calibrating his recharger. But when he was about to lie down for a night of well deserved rest, he heard someone knock on his door.
"Cyborg? It's me, Raven."
"Let me guess: it's about Blackfire, isn't it?" Cyborg asked, as soon as the door closed behind Raven.
Raven nodded. "I didn't know who else to talk to," she said, sitting down next to Cyborg.
"You really got it bad, huh?" Cyborg asked, placing his arm around her shoulder. "So what are you gonna do about it?"
"…I was," Raven began before she found herself stopping, unwilling to let the words escape her mouth, and it was a second before she found the strength to try again. "I was going to let them go," she whispered.
"Let them go," Cyborg said flatly. "Let-them-go. You want me to point out the problems with that, Rae?"
"What else am I supposed to do?" Raven asked, her voice rising a little. "They're happy together. I have no right interfering."
"Oh yeah? What about you? Don't you have a right to be happy?"
"I don't do 'happy'," Raven said, looking downwards.
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Raven doesn't do 'emotion'," Cyborg said, making quote marks with his fingers. "She don't do 'happy', she don't do 'sad', and she definitely don't do 'love'. So what was the problem again? 'Cos if you don't have any, I'd like top get some sleep now, a'ight?"
Raven sat there, still as a stone for a few seconds, before she got up. "I can see this was a mistake. I'm sorry-"
"No Rae, wait," Cyborg said, placing a hand on her shoulder before she could go out. "I'm sorry- I kinda lost my temper there. Look, Raven, sit down and let me tell you something," he added in a kinder tone.
When Raven had sat down again, Cyborg told her that "When I was a kid, I wanted to be an athlete, but not just any athlete, I wanted to get to the Olympics, win a medal or three, you know?" He looked at Raven to make sure she was paying attention before he continued, "But as you can see," he said, holding up his arm, "I got into an accident. I don't remember anything about it. Doctors say my mind blocked out those memories."
His voice grew slightly softer now, as if speaking more to himself than to Raven. "All I can remember is waking up in the hospital, thinking about what kind of freak I became, hating my dad for turning me into this. I ran away from home, and if it weren't for you guys finding me, I could've been like the Joker, or that Cassius guy, or something like that. Something evil."
"What are you saying?" Raven asked.
"I'm saying that I got lucky," Cyborg told her. "I ran away from all my problems, but all that did was make me worse. And although I got lucky, the thing is, luck don't last. Sooner or later you gotta face your problems, or you're screwed."
He looked her in the eye before continuing, "Rae, I don't know if she loves you, but I know you love her, and I think it'll be a shame if she leaves without knowing that. At least if you tell her how you feel about her, then at least you won't go the rest of your life wondering 'what if'?"
Raven sat there a while, watching Cyborg, and then she slowly placed her arms around him. "Thank you, Cyborg," she said, her eyes closed to hold back tears she never thought she'd shed. "Thank you."
"Uh Rae?'
"Yes?"
"You sure you've got full control over your powers?"
"I think so, why?"
" 'Cos if my readouts are right I'm recharging," he said in one quick burst.
Raven drew back in surprise, and saw that indeed, Cyborg visible circuitry did seem a little… brighter than they had been. "Well looks like I won't need any sleep tonight," Cyborg said, a bit chirpier than Raven was used to. "Say you need a ride to get to Blackfire I can take you there we can take the T-Car and I'll put the pedal to the metal we'll get to her in no time trust me on this I'm your friend remember-" Cyborg managed to say before Raven cut him off.
"Er, don't worry, Cyborg," Raven said. Apparently she had what Beast Boy would undoubtedly call 'control issues' right before breaking down with laughter. "I'll go talk to her myself. It would be better that way."
"Okay sure no problem I'll just stay here and recalibrate the security systems finish repairing the Tower make myself a little dinner maybe some eggs and coffee do you want coffee I know I do."
"Cyborg?"
"Yes Raven?"
"I think coffee's the last thing you need right now."
(scene change)
"You're right," Dawn said, looking at the rocky vista before her, "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, I know," Blackfire replied. "Who knew a bunch of rocks could be so beautiful?"
"Who indeed?" Dawn replied. "You sure nobody can intrude on us while we're here? You know I hate interruptions," she said, pressing her body slightly to Blackfire, while trailing a finger up her ex-girlfriend's back.
"I told you," Blackfire said, trying to ignore what Dawn was doing, and failing miserably-not that she minded. "This place is miles from the city, and the air currents above us are very unpredictable, which means there will be no planes flying here. Trust me, I know. Why do you keep on asking th-"
Blackfire found herself being abruptly cut off by Dawn's mouth over her own, and soon she found herself pressed against a rock as Dawn continued kissing her. "I heard that humans were a bit touchy about this sort of thing," she said between kisses, "so in order to not frighten off potential customers, I decided to use a little discretion," she said, as she brought her mouth for another kiss.
At least, that was the intention before Blackfire stopped her. "Wait, Dawn," she said, placing her hand on Dawn's cheek. "We can't do this. I'm sorry," she said sadly, disengaging herself from Dawn's embrace.
"Oh come on, Blackfire," Dawn pleaded, as she watched Blackfire walk away. "It's not like anyone's going to know what we do here tonight."
"I'll know," Blackfire said loudly, surprising the both of them. "Don't ask me why, but I'll feel like I'm betraying Raven if I…" she trailed off.
"Hey, I understand," Dawn said, her hands coming around Blackfire. "I don't want to, but I understand."
"Thank you, Dawn," Blackfire said, grasping the hands around her waist tightly.
The two of them stood there in that rocky wasteland where just a year before, the Titans had met Terra, when Dawn abruptly pulled her arms back. "Wait, I almost forgot something," she said. "No, wait! Don't turn around! It's a surprise!"
"I hate surprises," Blackfire said, a bit bewildered at the sudden change in mood. "What is it?"
"I said don't turn around! Look forward! Look forward! Now close your eyes."
"Okay, I'm looking away, and my eyes are closed," Blackfire said.
Behind her, she heard Dawn sigh as she rummaged around in her flight suit. "I wanted to give this to you on board my ship, but since that's not going to happen, I'll give it to you now as something to remember me by."
Blackfire stood there, when she felt Dawn's hands place something around her throat. It was then she heard a sound which she had thought she would never again hear in her life.
The soft click of a Centauri neural collar.
"Dawn-" Blackfire said, turning around, just in time to dodge under Dawn's eye blasts. "Dawn, what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to kill you!" Dawn mocked, before flinging a barrage of starbolts at Blackfire in addition to her own eye bolts. Blackfire had barely enough time to jump into a nearby shallow ravine before the place where she had been standing exploded into a cloud of dust.
"Come on, Blackfire, stop hiding! At least then you could die like a Tameranian royal would, with pride and dignity!" Dawn shouted. Her eyes scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of her target, her own instincts on edge for the slightest indication that something, anything was put of place.
However, she knew she had to draw Blackfire out; if even half of what she heard was correct, her own strength was no match for Blackfire's stealth. "I bet you're wondering what this is all about, aren't you, Blackfire? Blackfire? Are you still there? Don't worry, this isn't because we broke up. Hells, I never loved you in the first place."
There it was, a small gasp. "Oh Blackfire, you're so predictable," Dawn said while launching another salvo of energy bolts in the direction of the sound, obliterating a small rocky outcrop, but no Blackfire; her vaunted combat reflexes had gotten her away again.
Time to try bring her out again. "Blackfire? Blackfire, are you still there? I have something to tell you! You remember that building that almost fell on you today? My work, not the big lizard's. I know, I know, it was lacking in finesse, but it was the best I could do with what I had," she said in a pleading tone.
Still nothing, save the crackling sound of slowly cooling rock. "Blackfire," she sighed, "it's nothing personal, honest. It's just that, well, there are people on Tamaran who would really like to see you out of the way, and so you could say I'm now trying to finish the job I started all those years ago," she said earnestly. "Remember, Blackfire? When we first met? You were so gullible then. Poor lonely Blackfire, wishing she had someone to talk to, wishing someone could just understand what she was going through. And guess who was there to provide that understanding?"
Dawn looked around. Maybe it was just her, but she felt Blackfire was close. Good. "That's right, Blackfire, I played you! Played you for a fool, how does that make you feel? I arranged for the guards to find us, arranged for you to become disgraced, I even arranged the 'pirate raid'!" She looked around, saying, "But it would have all worked out if only your father lived up to his promise." Her face darkened with rage as she went on, "He never really disowned you. You can probably guess how me and my… associates felt when we found out he still had you chosen as a potential successor. But that didn't really bother us; as long as you were running around the Galaxy, you weren't any danger. Hells, you helped us make quite a bit of money on the side."
She snorted. "But then your stupid pride got in the way, and you had to come back to Earth- not once, but twice! Then the cursed Centauri slave race had to interfere and make you respectable; no, not respectable, a hero! A perfect candidate for first succession! Well, I won't let that happen! Do you hear me, Blackfire?" she shouted. "I will not let that happen! I have worked too hard for this!"
Hmph, still no Blackfire. Time to up the stakes a bit. "Blackfire, let me be blunt. You cannot use your powers, you can't fly back, and the jamming equipment I have with me, although a bit crude, is more than enough to block any signal from your communicator, as I'm sure you've found out. I, however, till have my powers, which means that I can reach the Tower long before you can. I can reach Raven before you can." She idly shaped starbolt energy with her hand as she continued, "She'll be dead long before you can save her."
Right after she said this, she immediately turned and brought her fist around in time to punch Blackfire squarely in the stomach. Immediately after that, Dawn brought another fist to the side of Blackfire's face, followed immediately by a third blow that sent her quarry backwards into a nearby cliff face. "I knew it," she exclaimed triumphantly, "I frelling knew it! Ah, Blackfire, you really have changed," she said, walking slowly towards Blackfire, who was lying in the cave, gasping for breath. This was a moment she wanted to remember. "It's a good thing raven doesn't know how much you care about her; that would make your death all the more painful," she finished.
She raised her hands, now glowing with starbolt energy, and threw the two starbolts at the defenseless Blackfire.
Only to watch them impact on a shield of dark energy that suddenly appeared in front of Blackfire.
"Get away from her," Raven said, as she descended into the space between Dawn and Blackfire, her own hands radiating dark power.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the other woman," Dawn snarled. "How did you- never mind. I've killed before; two more victims doesn't matter," she said, before flying towards Raven starbolts blazing.
Raven immediately erected another energy shield, and started to push back against Dawn's assault. But despite her newfound control over her powers, she felt her control wavering. Not only that, but she had Blackfire to worry about. She looked for any way out, any way she could distract her opponent for even a moment, when she saw a large rock atop a small cliff face above Dawn. "Azerath Metrion XINTHOS!" she yelled, and Dawn looked up just in time to blast the boulder to smithereens. But when she looked back, neither Blackfire nor Raven were to be seen. "I hope you're not running away!" she shouted taking to the air.
"Trust me, I'm not," Raven said, as she reemerged from behind a rock outcropping. "Let's finish this."
"Oh yes, let's," Dawn hissed, as she launched her starbolts at the same time Raven sent two clawed hands slashing at her enemy. Unfortunately, Raven wasn't quite fast enough, and while she managed to dodge the brunt of the blast, the concussion knocked her down onto the rough ground, while her 'hands' dissolved into nothingness after Raven lost concentration.
Dawn landed, and readied herself to kill Raven, when suddenly the small rocks and pebbles around her glowed with dark energies before flinging themselves at her and her eyes shut reflexively. When she opened them a split second later, she saw another large rock heading towards her a split second before it hit her and pinned her to the ground.
At first, Raven thought she had brought Dawn down, but right after she had brought it down on Dawn, the rock shattered to reveal her very enraged opponent. The shockwave of the blast threw Raven down on the ground.
"Let's see if you can dodge this!" Dawn said, aiming another starbolt at Raven, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Forgot someone?" Blackfire said, before punching an unsuspecting Dawn squarely in the face, and her second blow sent Dawn reeling backwards much in the same way Blackfire had. When Dawn tried to swing her fist at Blackfire, there was a loud crack as Blackfire blocked her blow with her arm. "I don't wear this battle armor for nothing," Blackfire said as she seized Dawn's ruined arm and pulled her forward, where headbutted Dawn's face. A split second after she did that, Blackfire gave Dawn a blow in the stomach, and as Dawn staggered back, Blackfire delivered a final roundhouse kick that sent her would-be assassin careering backwards into a steep trench.
"Is she dead?" Blackfire asked, as she and Raven walked o the edge of the trench. The pained moan that came from it was more than answer enough for the both of them, as they looked down into a drop of no more than a few meters. "She isn't dead? Good," Blackfire said, preparing to jump down and finish Dawn off, before Raven stopped her.
"Don't."
"What do you mean, don't? She just tried to kill me! And you too, didn't you notice?"
"Yes, I noticed. I also noticed you saving my friends' lives from the Puppet King, fighting Legion… and staying with me when you could have run away." Placing her hand on Blackfire's cheek, she continued, "You're better than her, Blackfire, I know you are."
"…I hate you, you know that, Raven? I hate you," Blackfire replied. "So what are we going to do with her?"
"I don't- wait," Raven said, reaching for her beeping communicator and turning it on.
"Hey Raven I've been trying to get to you and Blackfire where is she some people want to speak to her," Cyborg said.
Blackfire raised an eyebrow. "Looks like the jamming's stopped. Raven, what's happened to Cyborg?"
"Long story," Raven replied. "Cyborg, who wants to see Blackfire?"
"Oh those two Centauri Kai and Cron they want to speak to Blackfire it's about Dawn," he said.
(scene change)
"Forgive us for asking this, Lady Komand'r, but why is your friend Cyborg so… active?" Officer Kai asked, as he watched Cyborg apply even more car wax to the Centauri's main ship.
Blackfire was so bemused by what Cyborg was doing she didn't even notice Officer Kai's use of the honorific. "I asked Raven about it, but all she would say, 'Long story'," Blackfire replied with a very passable Raven impersonation. Behind the ship was the special portable jail cell the Centauri used to transport dangerous criminals. After Raven and Officer Cron had secured, or rather, sealed, Dawn inside it, the Centauri would tractor beam it all the way to one of their penal colonies. For some reason, Blackfire felt a little miffed that she didn't warrant that kind of protection when the Centauri came for her.
"I see," Kai said. "I noticed part of the city was in a heavily damaged state," he said, turning toward the city. "Are your friends…?"
"What? Oh yeah, there was a little trouble today, but my friends are okay. One of them's in the hospital with my sister, and another one's asleep," she said. "Beast Boy could sleep through an earthquake."
"The prisoner has been secured, Kai," Officer Cron said as he and Raven returned. "Thanks to the Lady Raven, Pyurit'i will definitely survive to face trial."
"I'm still having issues with that, if anyone's interested," Blackfire told them.
"Lady Komand'r, understand that despite your newfound status in the Tameranian court, we are here at your father's behest, and thus must obey Tameranian law," he said. There was more than a trace of humor in his voice as he continued, "No matter how much we agree with you."
"Oh, how sweet- I think I'll make you part of my Royal Bodyguard, how's that?"
"That is a matter we must discuss as well, Lady Komand'r," Officer Kai said. "Your father asked us to convey his wish for you to come back to Tamaran, so that you may receive proper training for the throne."
"What?" Blackfire exclaimed, while Raven seemed to become paler than usual.
"Your father never really gave up hope that you would return, which was why he was so willing to send your sister here," Officer Cron explained. "If you wish, we will escort you back."
Blackfire stood there, stunned. Visions of power, of adoration, of- of acceptance flashed through her mind. She saw herself addressing a massive cheering crowd, while behind her, her father and mother looked at her lovingly, approvingly.
And then, an image of Raven, alone in the shadows, turning away. She could not leave Earth- she was needed here. And without Raven…
What the hells. Power? If you wanted it, you didn't have it. Acceptance? Blackfire had traveled the reaches of the known galaxy, and had found no place more accepting than Earth. Adoration? If Raven's actions were any indication, then she had all the adoration she wanted right there.
Besides, she wouldn't be Blackfire if she didn't cause someone some trouble.
"Tell my father that I appreciate his offer, but I must refuse."
"Refuse?" the two Officers asked in unison. "But-"
"Excuse me? Did my father give any actual orders for you to bring me back?"
"Well, no, but-" Officer Kai began.
"Good. Then, as a princess of the House of and'r of Tamaran, I grant you permission to leave," Blackfire said grandly. "Now, you may leave us," she pompously added, her hands making the appropriate shooing motions.
The two Officers looked at each other and shrugged. "Very well, Lady Komand'r, if that is what you wish. Come along, Kai. We have a prisoner to transport."
(scene change)
Within the jail transport, Dawn pondered the terrible fate that awaited her as she sat within a circle of energy rods, promising an extremely painful shock should she touch them. The death penalty on Tamaran had been abolished for all capital crimes- except for those against royalty. And considering what she had done, and how much evidence there was, she was doomed-
"Greetings, Pyurit'i," a voice said, almost drowned out by the ship's engines as it took off.
Dawn looked around an empty room, trying to find the source of that strangely familiar voice. "Who said that? Reveal yourself!"
"Don't worry, there's nobody in here with you; this is a recording, my dear Pyurit'i, or would you rather be called by the name you have taken? What was it again? Ah yes, Isizine't, wasn't it?"
Dawn froze. The echoes in the chamber had warped the voice a bit, but now that she had time to figure it out…
"Yes, my dear, it's me, your 'father', Lord Dezikre't. Did you actually think that being the illegitimate product of one of my misspent nights in a backwater planet would make you part of my bloodline? Were you even thinking of ascending to Tamaran's throne? My dear, despite your admittedly profound understanding of underworld tactics, you seem to be incredibly naïve regarding Tameranian families. Even were you successful here, I would have had you killed anyway; after all, I can't have anything connecting me to it, could I?"
Dawn punched the floor with her hands in frustration. Was that really all her father thought of her? Didn't he- wait, 'have you killed anyway'?
There was a soft hissing coming from the bottom of her cell, and her horror, she saw some sort of gas coming from several small holes in the floor. In her sudden shock, she accidentally backed into one of the energy rods, sending reeling in pain her face first to the floor- and the poison gas.
"Thankfully, the Tameranian Embassy on Centauri Prime has its own share of my agents- patriotic Tameranians, sick of the and'r's weakening of our race, who made sure that the particular ship you would be transported on would have a few… modifications, as you have undoubtedly found out."
But by the time he said that, Pyurit'i didn't hear him.
(scene change)
"We let her off too easily," Blackfire grumbled to Raven as they watched the (very shiny) ship take off. Cyborg had gone back in the Tower, saying he felt like upgrading the T-Car, the T-Sub, fix up Robin's R-Cycle…
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" raven asked
"What do you think?" Blackfire asked flippantly, before she grew serious. "Um, Raven? Thanks for helping me back there. How did you find me anyway?"
"The same way I used you to find my friends when the Puppet King held them prisoner."
"Really? I thought you needed to have a strong emotional connection to the people you're looking for for that to happen."
This time Raven was prepared to handle her outburst of emotion; despite that, however, she was sure she was blushing as she replied, "You do."
"Raven!" Blackfire said in mock distress. "I never knew you hated me that much!" Seeing the miffed look on Raven's face, Blackfire laughed. "Oh, come on, Raven," she said, placing her arms on Raven's shoulders, "Can't you take a joke?"
Raven looked at Blackfire, wanting to bite off a snappy retort, but stopped when she realized snappy retorts were more Blackfire's style. Besides, what little animosity she bore towards Blackfire was sapped out by the arms now moving to encircle her body, by the soft breathing she felt near her lips…
Soon, they found themselves locked in a passionate kiss, both of them pleasantly surprised when Raven took the initiative, gently using her tongue to nudge Blackfire's lips, then mouth, open. Their hands moved all over each other, clutching, grasping, pulling them closer, trying to pull the other into herself. They felt not only each other's warmth, the heavy breaths each of them were taking, but also the intense sense of connection both of them shared, the raw outpouring of emotion that made them both feel like they were flying.
They did not know, or care, how long they kissed, but no matter how long they spent like that, it was still all too soon when their lips parted, and they found themselves bathed in moonlight as their gazes locked, and still embracing each other tightly, they stared deeply, directly into each other's eyes…
"Wait," Raven said, slightly puzzled. "Aren't you taller than me?"
At first, Blackfire found herself being slightly annoyed. Raven had to interrupt their first kiss with some silly- "Hey, yeah, I am taller," she said, realizing Raven had a point. They looked at each other for a second before they both looked down in unison.
To find themselves floating a few feet in the air. "That's… that's never happened to me before, I swear," Blackfire said, as they descended.
"Never mind, I forgive you," Raven replied, smiling slightly. "Blackfire?" she asked, serious again.
"Yeah?"
"No offence, but… I'd like it if we didn't go any further with this tonight, please?"
She looks so cute when she's nervous, Blackfire thought. "Hey, no problem. To tell the truth, I'm not really comfortable with it yet either," she admitted. "But things can change, can't they…?" she asked slyly.
Raven sighed, half exasperated, half anticipating. "Come on, Blackfire," she said. "Let's just get some sleep."
And hand in hand, they went back into the Tower.
On a nearby ledge, a small gecko ran down the Tower's outer walls, down, down, down into an open window, where it entered a very messy room. On the walls were pictures of popular 'rock' stars, pop singers, as well as a few scantily clad actresses. The lizard didn't care about those, however, as it walked from the wall onto the room's floor.
Beast Boy pounded the floor of his room in frustration and rage as hot tears ran down his cheeks, his sobs coming out of him in short, tortured breaths. "How could you do this to me, Raven?" he whispered angrily. "After all we've been through, how could you, Raven? I thought we were friends!"
His fists clenched, as if trying to rip the carpet apart with his bare hands. "How could you do this to me, Raven?" he repeated through his tears, "I thought you loved me…"
To be continued in Green Eyed Monster…
